Free service boosts feed efficiency for dairy farmers

Free service boosts feed efficiency for dairy farmers

In a bid to help dairy farmers in tight times, GrainCorp Feeds has announced that 150 clients nationwide will receive free access to a feed forecasting, tracking and monitoring service.

GrainCorp Feeds is working with technical specialists DairyClub to provide additional on-farm assessment, monitoring and technical support alongside Tracker™, an online tool which measures current milk production and shows how the farmer can use supplementary feed to achieve maximum return.

GrainCorp Feeds general manager Daniel Calcinai says to increase income from milk production, farmers have to feed strategically, which means the right feed at the right time.

"Rather than cutting out all supplementary feed or simply using the lowest cost option, it may be more beneficial to feed good quality feeds at certain periods during lactation. This will help to maximise pasture utilisation, improve short-term milk flows and protect the future productivity of the herd while increasing overall profitability," said Mr Calcinai.

"We recognise that it is a challenging time for the dairy industry, so it's important that we demonstrate the return our customers are getting on their investment into feed, rather than seeing it purely as a cost. Our priority is on investing in tools and systems to support our customers, focusing on the return on their feed investment."

50/50 equity partners Vaughan Parker and Paul Smith have jumped at the opportunity to take up this free service, which will increase production per cow on their 105 ha system 3 farm in Whakamaru.

"We currently have a crossbred herd of 285 cows doing 428kgs of milk solids per cow. We want to increase that to 457 – 472kgs/cow. This service will give us the ability to unlock the true potential of our grass through strategically managing the use of supplements," said Mr Parker.